Who would have thought 10 years ago – before the emergence of Airbnb – that renting a room in someone’s home would be a credible alternative to staying in a hotel?
Similarly, just a few short years ago the taxi industry could feel complacent that they had no real mainstream challenger on the horizon. Now we have giants such as Uber valued at over US$70 billion and Didi Chuxing looking to reach a valuation of US$80 billion.
The wind of change is in the air, and even the legal industry, one of the more conservative of industries, has been undergoing a metamorphosis. Alternative Legal Service Providers (also known as ‘ALSP’) are shaking up the way legal services are provided across the globe. Nowhere has this change been felt more than in the business hubs of Asia, where lawyers play a vital role in the vibrant economic landscape. However, as consumers’ needs continue to evolve and businesses increasingly demand increased flexibility and efficiency, ALSPs have emerged as a very attractive option for businesses.
At the same time, growing number of lawyers from top law firms across the globe are seeking a greater work-life balance, and are finding that this is not possible within the traditional law firm structure. Such lawyers find that the flexible structure of ALPS allows them to work on quality short-medium term projects, while still having the time in between projects to pursue their other interests, spend more time with their families or run their own businesses.
An increasing number of law firms and in-house legal departments are taking advantage of ‘legal outsourcing’ in order to access quality legal advice and support for specific projects on a flexible basis, that is both suited to their needs and also reduces costs. At present, an astonishing 51% of law firms and 60% of corporate legal departments globally are currently using an ALSPs – and the number is rapidly growing.
LawFlex is a relative newcomer on the ALSP scene, but it’s already considered a real player in the legal outsourcing practice field. In the last two years has shaken up the legal market in its home country of Israel, and is now coming to Asia to do the same.
LawFlex’s difference lies in the uniqueness of the Israeli legal market. Israel, a high-tech and global business centre, is a small country that consistently punches above its weight in almost every area. Local Israeli lawyers are exposed to quality transactions across a wide range of industries. Further, experienced lawyers from New York, London and across the world come to Israel for lifestyle reasons. The result is an abundance of quality lawyers. This ‘glitch’ in the system allows the Israeli market to offer world-class legal services at rates well below the global average.
LawFlex, with its large pool of over 250 talented lawyers from 24 jurisdictions, is bringing this unique model to Asia in order to provide quality and competitive flexible legal services for law firms and corporations across the region. LawFlex provides qualified lawyers on a flexible basis for high-volume document review, due diligence support, contract drafting and review and foreign legal advice, among other legal services. LawFlex lawyers have been thoroughly vetted and come from some of the top universities and law firms from across the globe.
The next stage of disruption to the legal industry has arrived. Access to quality legal services are now being placed into the hands of those who matter most; the consumers. LawFlex is positioned to be at the forefront of this change, while propelling Israel into the role of a global legal resourcing leader.